There is no shortage of RPGs on the eShop. There is, however, a lack of titles that are worthy of your time. Kemco has steadily been porting over its large collection of smartphone games to the 3DS, and some have been better than others. Justice Chronicles promises dozens of hours of game time filled with charming music and a rather nostalgic art style.

The story begins with the introduction of the main character of the game, a young man named Kline. As a new recruit of the Grinsil Special Operations Brigade, his first mission will be to investigate what is happening in Laft. Kline and company live on the planet's surface, which is known as Illumica. Hidden below the surface, Laft is home to warring tribes and is thought to be the cause of the current problems facing the planet. As the mission goes awry Kline is forced to make a decision that could cost him everything. In an attempt to save a woman from an ambush, Kline defeats a monster known as a "Vasist." Unfortunately for Kline and the girl, they fall into a hole and Kline, desperate to save her life, is met by a devilish creature. Promising to save the girl in exchange for Kline's soul, we're introduced to the God of Death, Rooselevy. From here on it's a struggle to save Illumica and discover the secrets locked away by the stars.

Highlights:

Strong Points: 40 hours of content; The story is engrossing; Music is crisp and well made; The ability to instantly leave any area just by tapping Leave from the menu.Weak Points: The crafting system is slightly convoluted; Some translation errors; Battles can become repetitive.Moral Warnings: Justice Chronicles portrays demons as God-like creatures; Occult symbols are seen at points in the game; Some instances of sexual innuendos; Minor swearing.

Kline quickly finds more party members to join up with him and Alia. She explains who she is after she recovers from the fall. They meet a witch named Paola and a soldier without a voice named Fred. His High Beast partner does most of the communicating, acting as a medium between Fred and the rest of the team. This is probably the low point of the game as it becomes incredibly annoying having his High Beast constantly saying "These are his words." In Justice Chronicles, creatures known as High Beasts accompany the Grinsil Brigade and are housed in objects known as Shells. Each character can equip a Shell and form a bond with that beast. These creatures aid in battle and will make things slightly easier. They cannot be manually controlled and will attack on their own accord. They can also unleash attacks that deal huge amounts of damage when they are low on health.

The battle system itself is fairly normal as it's your typical turn-based combat. Skills are learned through leveling up, but are also obtained by equipping magic meteorites. These skills can only be used as long as the corresponding meteor is equipped. This can be a bit of a frustration as you can't switch meteors in a battle. On the bright side, there are a lot of different meteors to experiment with for their damaging and status inducing properties. At the bottom of each of the character portraits is a bar. This is known as the Action Bar and it fills as each character attacks and is attacked. When it is at a value of 100% Linked Skills become performable in battles. There are two types of Linked Skills: 2-person link and a 3-person link. These moves are used immediately at the beginning of a turn and are extremely powerful.

Surprisingly, weapons and armor aren't dropped by enemies nor are they obtained from treasure chests. Instead, a crafting system allows basic weapons and armor to be upgraded. Materials can be found throughout the game, and certain materials will be needed to progress the evolution of your gear. Once you reach a new stage in the gear, shops will begin selling them. Each weapon will have multiple branching paths, and it's a daunting task unlocking each new weapon.

Visually, character and enemy models are designed very well. The backgrounds used in battles are all gorgeous. Environments on the other hand come off as bland and forgettable. There is also no 3D, which shouldn't be a surprise as this was a smartphone game originally. This isn't to say that 3D shouldn't have been implemented in some way, even if it's just the title screen. The music in the game is what sets it apart from many other 3DS eShop RPGs. The title screen has an incredibly upbeat song that really lets the player know there was some actual effort put into producing the game. The in-game music is arranged nicely and is a joy to listen to.

Morally, there are a few scenes that reveal Kline's past and how his parents were sacrificed when he was a child. These help to explain why Kline is intent on killing the High Beast Lord. Not to spoil the story too much, but this is indeed a game about revenge. Another moral issue is the usage of occult-like symbolism which is found throughout some of the game. These aren't depicted frequently, but they are used at times. Though witches are in the game, there isn't much witchcraft and spells being performed outside of battles.

Justice Chronicles is a surprisingly deep and rich game. Character interactions are filled with ranges of emotions. The light-hearted nature of Kline keeps things humorous and cheerful, but that's not to say there aren't plenty of moments when things become serious. If you're craving a well written RPG and want to grind hours away crafting gear, then Justice Chronicles will suit you perfectly. Some may find that the game is too long or even graphically underwhelming, but for the 10 dollar price tag I do recommend it.

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Christ Centered Gamer looks at video games from two view points. We analyze games on a secular level which will break down a game based on its graphics, sound, stability and overall gaming experience. If you’re concerned about the family friendliness of a game, we have a separate moral score which looks at violence, language, sexual content, occult references and other ethical issues.